Israeli F16 crashed in the Negev Desert

An Israeli fighter jet F-16 crashed last night n the Desert of the Negev during a military training in the sky of south Israel. The pilot and the navigator feared dead but it is not clear if the two had managed to eject themselves.

The jet took off from the Ramon Air Force base last Wednesday evening and crashed somewhere in the area of Negev Canyon near Mitzpe Ramon at around 8 p.m. Israeli time. Part of the Israeli Air Force (IAF), the F-16 was leading a four aircraft training exercise when it suddenly fell to the ground.

The pilot and the navigator feared dead but the IAF launched extensive searches near the crash site in hope of finding survivors because it is not clear yet if the two had managed to eject themselves before the crash. The IAF has opened an investigation and cancelled all training exercises.

Manufactured by the American company Lockheed Martin, the plane has been used during the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and the last operation in Gaza in 2009 proving the Israeli air superiority in the whole region.

Even if last month the Israeli government bought from the United States 20 F-35 stealth fighter invisible jets, the F-16 remains the most important military jet used by the Israeli Air Force.
In the last years only a few incidents had involved those jets. An emergency landing and a fatal crash in 2009, and two forced ejections during the Second Lebanon War.

Article published on Digital Journal - November 10th 2010.